[UPDATED] Agong apparently told PM no need to test legitimacy in Dewan Rakyat: law minister

PUTRAJAYA – The Yang di-Pertuan Agong supposedly informed Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob during one of their audiences that the prime minister need not test his legitimacy when the Dewan Rakyat convenes this month.

This explains the government’s decision to exclude the vote of confidence for Ismail Sabri in the coming parliamentary sitting next week.

Law Minister Datuk Seri Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar said His Majesty had decided as such, considering he had just appointed Ismail Sabri and saw no necessity for a vote of confidence since the Agong was confident that the Bera MP enjoys the majority support of the Dewan Rakyat.

“Under the federal constitution, it gives power to the Agong to appoint a prime minister who he feels has majority support. At that time, Ismail Sabri had the support of 114 MPs,” he said in a press conference at the Election Commission headquarters today.

“This is not an assumption but was confirmed when the king met all 114 MPs. In such a short span of time, I don’t see how any of the MPs will change their stand in the coming sitting. If six or seven months have lapsed, then I believe it is possible.

“But the prime minister has just taken over, and based on this, His Majesty consented that there is no need for a confidence vote.”

If true, this runs contrary to a previous statement issued by the Istana quoting that the Agong is decreeing for a vote of confidence to be held for the new prime minister, in line with the provisions of the federal constitution.

The issue of Ismail Sabri’s confidence has been a point of great contention among the opposition, with previous indications hinting that motion will not be tabled when the lower house sits. 

Last week, opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had revealed that Ismail Sabri told him personally that “maybe there is no need for a vote of confidence”, during their meeting at the prime minister’s office.

Today, PKR’s Lembah Pantai MP Fahmi Fadzil shared a copy of the Dewan Rakyat Order Paper, which glaringly excludes any confidence motion.

Elaborating on the matter, Wan Junaidi said there is currently no provision for a prime minister to test his legitimacy in the house, including in the federal constitution or the Dewan Rakyat Standing Orders. 

He said while there were previous prime ministers, including Tun Hussein Onn and Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, who faced a confidence motion, these were done to “ease their minds” while noting that they enjoyed a strong majority then. – The Vibes, September 7, 2021